replacing passenger seat base

tvennetti

New member
I have a 2005 with a standard passenger seat (not the fold down) The passenger seat has no adjustment forward and back.With the cargo cage you cant recline the seat.I was wondering if it is possible to find a drivers side base and install it on the passenger side to give that seat the forward and back adjustment that the drivers side has.It looks like it has the same bolt pattern.
Has anyone done this?
 

sailquik

Well-known member
tvennetti,
Actually I do not think any of us fully understand the seat you have.
All normal NAFTA Sprinters I've seen have a fully adjustable passenger side seat that has all the same controls
as the drivers seat (the arm rest and controls being on the other side is the only real difference) or they have the
fold down "jump seat" that FedEx orders.
Can you send me your VIN# and an email address by private message (PM) above.
I would like to see if your Sprinter came from the factory equipped as you describe.
I'd be willing to bet you can buy the passengers seat (see them on here fairly often as RV take offs, or
from the "breakers") and you should be good to go.
Or purchase the sliding track mechanism from MOPAR and install it under your seat.
Is there some wiring or a battery bank in the passenger sear box that would limit the adjustment/motion of
the passenger seat?
Roger
 

John484

'06 140 2500 SHC
Hmm
I have an 06 and the passenger seat has no forward or backward adjustment. It still has the orange handled big buttons on the side like the driver's seat, which tvenetti is lacking. I do not believe I have seen a seat lacking the orange adjustments like tvenettis before.
 
Last edited:

A.Hayes

Member
tvennetti,

I have that same type of passenger seat, and have always meant to track down a used "normal" adjustable seat to swap it out. At least yours has an armrest... Anyway, it definitely looks like it would bolt right up. Please post an update if you do it.

Sailquick- You pulled my data card a while back:thumbup:. To add to the confusion, nothing in there about the seats except a co-driver armrest line item which isn't there on the van:hmmm:
https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showpost.php?p=246681&postcount=25
 

mean_in_green

>2,000,000m in MB vans
The base is fine, you need a different passenger seat with the adjustment controls like your driver's seat.
 

fredbail

Member
I had the same thing in my 2006, I found a set of front seats from a passenger/family van , both had more adjustments. The passenger seat now slides back and forth, and has a lumbar support. You can swap the seats on the bases, but be aware of the positioning of the seat belts, where they are mounted, exactly, and respective hardware for all, this is something you might not notice at first, but can end up being a headache. Also, the hardware from the fixed seat will not work on the "slider", so get all the original mounting hardware.
 

jmoller99

Own a DAD ODB2 Unit.
I installed seats from a Toyota (all manually operated seat controls) on mine - I had the same seats (2002 Cargo Sprinter) you have, but no arm rests. I had to make a frame out of steel angle (1/8 x 1 1/2 x 1 1/2) to adapt the seat mount points - they were not 'direct fit' in any way. My original drivers seat had damaged foam (it was like sitting on a sack of rounded rocks) and it was very uncomfortable.

The Toyota seats are great (after 3 years and around 45,000 miles of use) - I found them at a junk yard. I also added a handgrip on my A-Pillar which makes getting into the front passenger seat a lot easier (from the same junk yard - also Toyota parts). I also added heated seat elements to the seats (also not hard to do, nor expensive).

I also helped install an electric powered drivers seat from an Audi A5 in another Sprinter. Getting the switches wired to work with the motors was not hard, just time consuming (using DPDT momentary contact, center off, toggle switches)

You should be able to replace the seats with other vehicle seats if you are handy with tools. There are a lot of exceptional car seats in junk yards for very little cost. However, none really have arm rests (I don't really care, but you might), There are RV seats that do, but you'll likely need to buy them new.
 

John484

'06 140 2500 SHC
. Also, the hardware from the fixed seat will not work on the "slider", so get all the original mounting hardware.
Yep. I tried to swap my 2005 shotgun seat into my 2006, if I remember correctly the black pressed steel 'riser' that fits between the 'pedastal' and seat itself will not swap.
 

mean_in_green

>2,000,000m in MB vans
If proposing a retrofit of adjustment parts I would abandon that approach and just find a seat with the controls already fitted.
 

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